Infosys Limited | Spring 2016 | My role:
Hardware Prototyping: Created and built the automated plant growing system
Storytelling: Presented the prototype in Infosys Confluence 2016 and CHI 2016
User Research: Cooperated with teachers and students to develop the prototype into an educational kit
UI Design: Designed the gamified user interface for students to monitor the data and system
Automated plant growing system: renew well-established industries like agriculture through digitization
IOT + MACHINE LEARNING + PROTOTYPING
Educational Kit: promote curiosity and a love of learning
UI/UX + GAME DESIGN
Envision new possibilities for agriculture through new emerging technologies
AR
1. DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Today, digital technology is fundamentally transforming age-old industries like communications, manufacturing, transportation, health care – and even agriculture.
We developed a machine learning system alongside the physical system. This system started with no information and randomly assigned values for the plants’ pH levels, nutrient levels, and watering schedules. As data was collected, a growth model was built, after which the system could test whether or not its learning fit the actual growth of the plants. If there were inconsistencies, it refined and retested its model.
This project is to show how digital tools like data analysis and automation can be used in traditional agriculture industry. It is also to showcase the team’s work process and the ability of rapid prototyping.
The team built an automated hydroponics growing system, which has 20 plants connected to a central machine-learning system. The system therefore could monitor the growth in relation to several controllable, environmental factors. With machine learning system, it will anticipate the needs of each plant to promote as much growth as possible.
RAPID PROTOTYPING
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PROBLEM SOLVING & DESIGN ITERATIONS
abc
Electrically isolate the various sensors in the water reservoir to reduce interference between them
Use a fluorescent green background for image processing as that is the best way to make green plants stand out under purple grow lights
Use peristaltic pump instead of solenoid valve to control the amount of the solutions added precisely
As the project goes, the possibility of the digital farm was turned into an educational kit which was attributed to its low cost, easiness of the set-up and potential of the variation.
It led us to create a fun, interactive 3-D game interface to interact with, grow, and control your plant.
2. EDUCATIONAL KIT
curiosity & a love of learning
learning to code
co-creation and collaboration
hands-on experimentation & making
INITIAL VERSIONS
Initially, the purpose of this interface was for us to monitor the system and fix the hardware or software issues, like the wrong readings of the pH sensors, connectivity problems, differences between the expected values and real-time values.
Graph monitoring
The users are mainly just us. As one of the three members who built the system, I designed the graph views for monitoring, which proves to be really clear and useful by two other builders.
Overview screen
Good: having the same layout of the physical setups did helpful.
Bad: there was too much information, which made us feel harder to identify the status of each plants.
How to improve that?
GAMIFIED INTERACTION
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
Interview with students and teachers
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different levels of complexity for different grades (1-2 variables for lower grades)
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collaboration
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goals or lesson plans
FINAL PROTOTYPE
3. NEW MODES OF INTERACTION: AUGMENTED REALITY
We used the Microsoft HoloLens to transport the plant growth cycle into a mixed physical/virtual reality. We wanted to see how augmented and mixed reality could be used to reimagine the digital experience for agriculture – and ultimately, for different industries.
Capable of monitoring the plants, give them water, adjust the pH levels, and help them grow.
